The Rambling Branch - A place for rambling, musing, and sharing about my life as a mom, a wife, and a daughter of Christ.

Jun 22 Dr Pepper

Have you ever had a vice that you know you should give up, but you just don’t care quite enough to give it up? For me, that vice is Dr Pepper. I know, I know. Sugar is killing Americans. We get way too much of it in our diet, but I would argue that we get way too much of other things in our diet as well. Every once in a while I’ll get on a healthy kick and limit my Dr Pepper intake to a couple times a week. Then I fall off the proverbially wagon when I have too many “hard” days (or hours) in a row. Have the kids cried a lot today? Then it might even be a two Dr Pepper day! In my little one’s early days, I had a lot of two Dr Pepper days.

I don’t have the best memory when it comes to a lot of things, but I remember food. My first memory of Dr Pepper is actually from the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact year, but I was probably in my middle school years. When we showed at Fort Worth, my family would stay with my dad’s cousin and her husband. They spoiled us rotten while we were here, making Fort Worth one of my favorite shows. In the mornings before we would leave for the grounds, they would pack us gobs and gobs of candy, food, and drinks to take with us. It was so good! One of the years, in those delicious coolers was Dr Peppers. Oddly enough, I didn’t like it at first. I was a Big Red girl for quite some time.* The flavor grew on me.

In college I was introduced by one of my husband’s closest friends, James, to the Dublin Dr Pepper. They don’t use any of that “fake” corn syrup in their recipe that is supposedly so bad for you. They use genuine sugar. During our time in Lubbock, James would pop some Dr Peppers and Big Reds on ice, grill some bacon wrapped jalapeños and hot dogs, and we would watch Aggie football. Life doesn’t get much better.

Now, my Dr Pepper is typically a naptime treat. There’s just something about getting the girls in their respective rooms – even if not asleep – and taking a sip of that cool, refreshing, bubbly beverage. Ahhhh. Trust me. And, try it. Oh, and make sure you drink plenty of water and eat some kale while you’re at it.

*I blame my affinity for carbonated beverages on my grandparents – Fay and Papa. Growing up, we would have “coke breaks” with them, usually around 10 a.m. Who doesn’t need a coke by 10 a.m.? We would each get a bit of coke and typically a swiss cake roll and sit down for The Price is Right. Quite the memories.